I made quite a few of these this year. At first I was hoping to make them small enough to make pendants with, but at that size they are scary to hold at the bandsaw and sander.
A couple people asked about how they are made. I have a few pictures that should be enough to get the general idea across.
I start by turning this hour glass shape and do most of the sanding. The two sides need to be as close to mirror image as you can get them. I then cut them on the bandsaw with a miter gauge. This is one of the more risky parts, but set it up and be thoughtful about how you hold it and where the blade is going. I don’t quite cut all the way through. I also nip off the nubs on the end with the bandsaw. The pieces snap off and I can finish on the sander.
Once the halves are cut, I use some sanding discs on the lathe to flatten the bandsaw cut and even up the halves. I have a big 10” disc with 80 grit not shown in this picture. This picture shows 5” discs that I use a soft backer to help with finish sanding. I also use these to clean up and round off the ends where I cut off the nubs.
Once the halves evened up, I glued them up, a little more sanding. I use the coarse disc to put a flat on one side so they can stand up on a shelf. I then use the Beall system to buff them out.
A couple people asked about how they are made. I have a few pictures that should be enough to get the general idea across.
I start by turning this hour glass shape and do most of the sanding. The two sides need to be as close to mirror image as you can get them. I then cut them on the bandsaw with a miter gauge. This is one of the more risky parts, but set it up and be thoughtful about how you hold it and where the blade is going. I don’t quite cut all the way through. I also nip off the nubs on the end with the bandsaw. The pieces snap off and I can finish on the sander.
Once the halves are cut, I use some sanding discs on the lathe to flatten the bandsaw cut and even up the halves. I have a big 10” disc with 80 grit not shown in this picture. This picture shows 5” discs that I use a soft backer to help with finish sanding. I also use these to clean up and round off the ends where I cut off the nubs.
Once the halves evened up, I glued them up, a little more sanding. I use the coarse disc to put a flat on one side so they can stand up on a shelf. I then use the Beall system to buff them out.
